Undefeated bantamweight sensation, Umar Nurmagomedov, is expected to get the next crack at the 135-pound crown, soon to be decided in the Noche UFC main event when reigning division titleholder, Sean O’Malley, defends against No. 1-ranked contender, Merab Dvalishvili.
But Nurmagomedov’s rise to the top of the bantamweight rankings, where he currently sits in the No. 2 slot, may have been aided by his relationship with former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who cornered his cousin against Cory Sandhagen last weekend in Abu Dhabi.
That’s according to “The Machine.”
“He has a push because we all know why,” Dvalishvili told Heavywgt MMA (transcribed by MMA Junkie) “He’s Khabib’s cousin. He’s a good fighter. I have all the respect to him. It leaves me heartbroken when you see sometimes when you working hard. I wasn’t sure if I was getting a title fight until two weeks ago. After I beat Jose Aldo, I was supposed to fight for the belt. After I beat Petr Yan, I was supposed to fight for the belt. After I beat Henry Cejudo, I wasn’t sure. (Nurmagomedov) is a good fighter, but he got pushed. It’s like cheating a little bit to get here. I have 12 fights in the UFC. I beat like seven or eight ranked fighters.”
Dvalishvili (17-4) has just one finish across his last 10 wins.
In fairness to Nurmagomedov, the top half of the bantamweight rankings is populated with fighters who’ve already tried (and failed) to win the division strap, like Henry Cejudo (UFC 288) and Marlon Vera (UFC 292), among others. In addition, contenders like Yadong Song and Cory Sandhagen are both coming off losses.
Dvalishvili is also leaving out the fact that he refused to fight teammate Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight title and “Funk Master” was 135-pound champion up until last August, back when “The Machine” was scoring those aforementioned wins over Aldo and Yan. His Cejudo victory did, in fact, net him a division title shot.